Apple Computer's first floppy drive for it's popular Apple
II computer was released in the summer of 1978. It was designed by Steve
Wozniak and sold for $595.00 including the controller card and
cable. The first drives sold were built by Shugart Drives, but in
a cost cutting move Apple switched to Alps Electric Company
of Japan who would build them for about half the cost of a Shugart
Drive. The Disk II was the first drive to use a head tracking
method known as 'soft sectoring' instead of the more traditional 'hard
sectoring' method used by other manufacturers of the day.

The Disk II drive exhibited
here is one of a pair that was purchased at a flea market. They are
currently displayed with the Apple II plus exhibit and were added
to the museum on March 5, 2000.